One Minute
by light blue
Summary: (After the game) Ellone waits patiently at the orphanage garden to have a needed talk with the one she affected most....


**H**ello again!  Another crazy idea popped into my head and I just had to write this.  I think it's pretty unique and I'm glad I came up with it.  Please read and review to let me know what you think.

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**O**ne **M**inute

by ~ light blue

A welcoming warm breeze made it's way through and all around the variety of beautiful flowers that made a place in the garden.  The garden of truth.  Not only did the welcoming air travel through the garden, guiding light pink petals that wished to follow, but it also made short dark brown tresses of a familiar young woman travel about her face, making her squint her eyes.  Those dark brown eyes…

Ellone stood where Squall and Rinoa once made a promise, watching the wind carry those petals, slightly smiling to herself.  It was a partly cloudy day at Edea's house… making the garden of the destroyed orphanage even more beautiful.  It _never_ stopped being beautiful.

It has been several weeks since the orphanage gang defeated Ultimecia, once again bringing peace to the lands.  The world couldn't be happier.  Esthar, where Ellone was currently staying, decided to remove their camouflage and show themselves to the world upon Laguna's decision; Fisherman's Horizon's shutdown railroad to Esthar was repaired, making it easier for outsiders to visit the land; because of Ultimecia's defeat, Timber was released from Galbadian rule; and Trabia Garden was on the verge of being recreated in time as well.  Things were getting better and better.

So why was she here, all the way across the world at Edea's orphanage?  Reminiscing, perhaps?  Maybe… but she wouldn't be doing it by herself.  She didn't know if the person would show up or not.  He was certainly a busy man now, traveling from one place to the other.  Sure she talked about her past with Laguna and everything that they have been through, but now it was _his_ turn…

"You wanted to see me?"  And there he was, speaking in that same deep monotone soothing voice of his.

Hearing that voice behind her, Ellone smiled and turned around to face him; and as if on cue, the wind carried some petals past her where she turned, only to travel in twirling motions past his firm stance.

Squall's big grayish-blue eyes stared at her in wonder of what this was all about.  For once, his gloves and jacket were unclothed for today's attire, making it easier to see the legendary Griever lying proudly on his chest and those crimson crossing belts making their way around his waist.  Because of the warm weather, such clothing weren't needed.  Ellone as well was without her green garment, being free from it for a day.

Smiling warmly, the young woman held her hands in front of her and looked to his eyes, which were only six feet away.  "You made it."  She spoke out gently, glad to see that he _could_ make it.

"Yeah…."  The commander stepped a little closer to his Sis, looking around with his eyes a few seconds before raising his right hand and placing it on his hip.  "How'd you get here?"

"The White SeeD ship."  Unfolding her hands from in front of her, she turned around and walked to the edge of the stone floor, stepping down from where it ended into the fresh green grass of the garden.  Releasing a sigh, the young woman took at seat on the stone floor, turning her head to her right peeking over her shoulder at her little 'brother'.  "Since they were leaving Esthar to return to the central continent, they said it wouldn't be a problem to drop me off."

Squall dropped his hand from his hip, watching her a moment before saying anything.  This was quite strange for him.  A few days earlier, he received a message from Esthar, which was her, asking for him to meet her at Edea's house, and if he came or not, she'd still be there.  Curious about her request, he made an opening in his schedule, somehow, and managed to squeeze her in, let alone make the Garden travel over the deserted lands of the southern continent once again.

Knowing he was lost in thought, Ellone turned around some in her seated position, motioning for him to come closer.  Snapping out of his thoughts, he saw her motion and abided by it, walking over and taking a seat upon one of the fallen pedestals.  After he did so, he took his eyes off his 'sister' to look out into the beautiful flowery garden.  Before he got lost into his thoughts again, Ellone finally began…

"When was the last time you were here, Squall?"  She asked, looking out at the view as well.

"…….?"  The commander frowned in confusion and looked back over to his Sis, still wondering what this was all about.  Even so, he knew that he'd find out soon and played along, answering her question.  "When I just got out of time compression… with Rinoa."  Rinoa…

Ellone closed her brown eyes a moment, taking in a breath of fresh air.  She was afraid he was going to say that… "That was weeks ago…"

"So…?"  He continued to watch her; that frown never deciding to go away until he got some answers.

"That's not good."

"Why do you say that?"  He leaned down a bit, resting his elbows against his knees, turning his head to stare up at the partly cloudy sky.

Opening her eyes again, Ellone lied slightly, ignoring the real point of the whole investigation toward him for now… "You should get out more.  You've become too busy."

Squall released a silly scoff and turned his head to look at her once again.  "Is that why you brought me all the way out here?  To tell me that?"

From his reaction, she began to laugh, bringing her fingers to her lips and smiling as bright as the sun.  Squall sat up at this, watching her, and frowned with a slight hint of a pout coming to his lips.  He didn't like this… it seemed like a waste of his _time_.  "Is something funny?  I must have missed it."

Sensing the tension coming from him, she could tell something was wrong.  She knew exactly what it was.  Her laughter subsided as she stood, walking through some of the grass below her feet until she stopped in front of him, kneeling down some so she could look him in the eyes.  Now seeing that he guard was down, she attacked him… with _her_.  "Where is she, Squall?"

"……."  He knew whom she was talking about.  After the whole Ultimecia adventure everyone has brought _her_ up to him.  They were all so interested in their relationship that it was becoming too annoying— and it still was.  'I heard you saved her at blahblah', 'I heard this and that', 'how could you— with a _sorceress_?' Yes.  It was Rinoa.  Regardless of her being a sorceress or not, he didn't care.  He loved her with all of his heart, his being, his soul…

Their relationship boomed right after the Ultimecia saga.  Squall actually began to smile a lot more with his friends, and more importantly her.  They have both saved each other in many ways no one could describe.  Even though he still had problems expressing himself and opening up fully to Rinoa, he was deeply in love with her, and even Hyne himself could never change that.

But the sad thing about Ellone's question was that… he did not have an answer.  Why?  Because he did not know where she was.  Such a simple question could not be answered, and Ellone knew he couldn't answer it.  She knew…

Squall turned his head with downcast grayish-blue eyes to look at the ground, away from his 'sisters' gaze.  So this was what this meeting was about.

"That's what I thought…"  Ellone's voice trailed off as she stared at Squall, letting a sigh escape her lips.  The young woman took a seat next to him on the pedestal, raising her right hand to tuck her short bobbed hair behind her ears.  "The last time you were here was when you were with her… after time compression.  After that there were many celebrations, but only in a couple of days did these take place.  And then came time to go back to work---"

"… I don't need a counselor, Ellone."  He interrupted, turning his gaze to look out at the garden once again.  Taking in a deep breath, he let it out slowly, letting his eyes close.  If guilt were an object, it would be resting upon his shoulders right now.

Ellone turned her head to look at her 'little brother', squinting her dark brown eyes sincerely as she stared at his turned face, watching his hair blow to the wind.  She spoke out in a tone slightly higher than a whisper.  "But _she_ needs _you_."

Squall's closed eyes tightened as a frown came over his features.  He was afraid she was going to say that.  Just then he remembered when he was talking to her through a 'connection', from the time Rinoa was in a coma.  He remembered what she said about Raine, calling out to Laguna when he wasn't around… because she needed him.

Squall knew Ellone knew what she was talking about.  And she was exactly right.

Because of how much the Garden put him to work, he hardly had much time to spend with Rinoa.  Of course he tried everything in his power to try to get together with her somehow for any kind of meet, but that soon subsided when he was slowly consumed into the work world.

Occasionally when he was finally done playing commander, late at night, he would go to his dorm and find Rinoa asleep on his bed.  And in the morning, sometimes she would be gone or there to say goodbye before he left for work _again_…

Work work work…

"She's been calling out to me?"  He spoke softly, slowly reopening his eyes, unable to look his Sis directly in the face from the guilt that was weighing on his shoulders.

But that would soon be lifted.

Ellone changed the subject slightly…

"Squall… those times when you were calling out to me…"  She paused a _minute_, lowering her head and holding her arms in thought.  Squall stared forward, his eyes widening slightly at what she was saying.  He never told anyone about that.  But his callings reached her… of course they did; he realized that now.  Remaining silent, he listened to her words.  "It's… because of me that you're so closed, isn't it?"

Lowering his head, he let his light brown hair hang in front of his face.  He never really thought about it, but now that she brought that to his attention: she has a lot to do with why he is so distant from others.

Yes, Ellone was there for him, in the orphanage, to hold his hand and care deeply for him.  He leaned on her for support and strength, and she was always there when he needed her, at the _time_.  He depended on her…

But like air, she vanished.  And just like that, his heart was broken.  Through the pain, the longing and the sadness, a wall began to build around the growing Squall Leonhart.  And as this wall began to develop, the role of being independent _completely_ settled in his mind… so he would never be hurt like that again.

"……."  Squall remained silent, not knowing what to say to her without hurting her feelings—but on the contrary, she hurt him deeper than anyone could in his life.  He could tell her everything that was on his mind right at this moment, whether it hurt her or not, but he couldn't.  He didn't want to hurt her…

And besides, it wasn't exactly her fault, was it?

Ellone knew he could say what he wanted, and it wouldn't be too pretty for her.  But if he did say something, she would be willing to listen and accept the scolding.

They both remained silent for several _minutes_: from Squall keeping quiet and Ellone waiting to see if he would decide to tell her off.  It felt like a lifetime.  But the sounds of the wind and the flowers moving to them made the moments tranquil and soothing, nice enough so they could bear the silence between them.

"Squall… I asked you to come here, because I wanted to apologize."

Slowly, he raised his head to look over at her sitting next to him with a little frown.  She still held her arms and her head hung low, trying to find the right words to explain what she's been planning to say.  The young woman sighed gently and shook her head softly.

"I made a deep scar in your heart that caused you to be who you are today.  It was me who made you close people out of your life for a long period of time… if only I could've gotten back here and grew up with you.. maybe things would be different.  I… I can't truly express how sorry I am… that I did that to you.  Maybe—"

Ellone was interrupted by Squall's right hand reaching up and taking her left hand into his.  Gently, he slid his fingers between hers and turned his head to look out at the garden once again.  His Sis looked up and over at him, staring at his turned face with a slightly startled look upon her features.  But that soon subsided when he began to speak, soothingly and sincerely.  "Maybe, if, but, then, perhaps… are you still living in the past?  Didn't you drop it when we were in space?"

Those deep brown eyes continued to stare at him, her small lips parting slightly, trying to think of something to answer him with—until she heard more from him.

"Yeah, you did make a scar in my heart.  I was hurt, but I grew up without you and dealt with it in my own way.  Besides, it was entirely inevitable.  The whole world was basically after you.  Hyne, it's my fault that I grew attached to you."

Ellone smiled a little, watching the breeze blow his hair as she felt her short tresses tickle her cheeks.  Squall continued, a little softer…

"If you did grow up with me, I don't think I'd be who I am today… maybe I wouldn't have become a SeeD, met Rinoa, things would probably be different.  You being taken away then was probably for the best for us—maybe even for the world."  That frown of his disappeared after he spoke, a sincere look appeared on his features as he turned his head to look over at Ellone.  "It wasn't your fault… it was meant to happen for a reason.  If anything, I shouldn't be accepting an apology from you… I should be thanking you, Sis."

Ellone gave a soft nod, staring into Squall's grayish-blue eyes.  She slowly began to smile as tears formed in her eyes, gently squeezing her hand that held onto his.  Seeing this, a small smile formed on his lips, gently squeezing her hand in return as if for comfort.

A short amount of time passed, as they remained silent together, just watching the interesting and beautiful garden as the wind took over the petals as well as seeing the sun's rays shine down on sections upon the large field from the cloudy day.  Soon after, they made their way inside the old orphanage, talking and reminiscing in each of the rooms they visited.  Each part of the ancient orphanage had a memory, and they did not fail to talk about it.

After their deep conversations about the times they had, they made their way outside, down the stone steps to the beach area in the back.  Together, they watched the crystal blue and green water slide back and forth towards the shore in silence.  From all of the time they spent together, the sun was near setting.

Squall stood with his hands in his pockets, shoulders slouched slightly, as he stared beyond the ocean with those big eyes of his.  The ocean air blew, causing his hair to dance to the wind with Ellone's.  She stood right by his right side with her elbows bent and hands held together in front of her.  The duo had expressions of tranquilness and serenity.

Thinking back on the whole day they spent together, there was something missing that was bothering him dearly.  Acting upon it, he spoke out to his 'sister' full of curiosity.  "Sis, earlier you didn't answer my question about Rinoa…"  He turned his head to look at her, and she soon did the same, blinking softly up at him.

"Yes, Squall, she has been calling out to you recently.  She needs you more than anything… like Raine needed uncle Laguna…"  Her voice drifted off as Squall turned to face her fully, taking his hands out of his pockets, a look of understanding coming over his handsome facial features.  Ellone looked out to the ocean once again, looking at the setting sun reflecting off of it.  She spoke out gently…

"One minute could last as long as you want it to, did you know that?  Sometimes a minute could last an eternity… depending on how you use time."  The young woman slowly turned her head to look up at him, squinting her eyes slightly as her hair was blown about by the sea breeze.  "How do you use your time, Squall…?"

He stared down at her with a thoughtful expression crossing his features.

"Uncle Laguna used his time to come and save me when Raine needed him the most… and that lead to tragedy.  Perhaps it wouldn't have been so much of a tragedy if he used that eternity-filled minute to be with her…"  Ellone turned her head to the right, looking over her shoulder towards the ocean once again.  "All I'm saying, Squall, is to use your time how you want to… not in the way where you think you have to.  That's how most things in life are missed.  Don't miss out on Rinoa… she's your new attachment, right?"

Squall looked out towards the ocean with her, placing his hands back into his pockets, a determined frown coming over his expression.  "Definitely."

"Don't let her disappear like I did… you are strong enough to prevent that now."  Ellone closed her eyes, letting the wind caress her.  Squall turned his head to look back over to his 'sister', his eyes soft and his expression sincere.  He watched how the wind took control of her hair and stared at her genuine expression upon her soft features.  He learned a lot that day, and everything she said to him meant everything.  Since she has experienced and witnessed so many things in her life already, he trusted her.  Not only that, but she was Ellone… his former attachment.  His _sister_.

She was right.  He was strong enough to keep Rinoa near him, and by Hyne, he would do anything to keep her closer than ever now.  Ellone has inspired him not to take the people in his life for granted.  Especially Rinoa.

Hearing the ocean waves crash against the rocks a distance away, Squall stepped closer to his sister, placing an arm lazily around her shoulders as he took his gaze away from her to watch the setting sun.  Feeling this, Ellone's eyes opened, raising her head to look up at him staring at the sun.  Soon after, her head lowered to look at it as well, gently resting her head upon his shoulder.

"Thank you, Sis."

"No, thank _you_… for everything, Squall."


End file.
